Blue Island Public Library, in partnership with the Illinois Monarch Project and Chicago Zoological Society's Communities and Nature program seeks to turn our decrepit asphalt parkway on the library frontage along York Street into a beautiful way station for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
In addition to creating beauty where it is currently in short supply, the Asphalt to Awesome project will create habitat for endangered Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Seeds, dirt and other materials for the project are available through community organization donations, and the CZS Communities in Nature program will provide educational opportunities and assist with collecting data regarding species and plants in the habitat for the next three years.
This project will help with the nationwide movement to save Monarch butterflies from extinction, create a relaxing community space in a disinvested south suburban concrete jungle, and help get children and families involved with conservation efforts in their own backyards. We hope that the library butterfly garden will encourage patrons to build their own pollinator habitats, and spread the message of how much impact individuals can have in saving our planet.